It has been nominated number 1 in RTE’s ‘top 5 things to do in Ireland’s Hidden Heartlands this summer,’ but....we’re not sure we can tell you!
Because, it is a secret...and has been a very successful one for the past four years.
Here ’s what RTE had to say about it: “Experience the enchantment of modern Irish music and nature at the Secret Village Festival - a spellbinding and unique event that’s already the stuff of legend.
“Here revellers are wowed in a bewitching and lush forest behind the town, where the magic of Ireland’s Hidden Heartlands is showcased in an extraordinary setting...”
Visitors have called it “mythical, magical, timeless, transient and unforgettable,” with a focus “ entirely on artistic freedom and engaging with the stunning setting.”
Here at The Irish Times we have described its location in the past as "a large area of allotments, abandoned over the years to nettles and mud" which " has been transformed into a summer wonderland that has that distinct 'wow' factor about it in abundance."
It is a “beautiful outdoor natural amphitheatre hidden in the woods” and a place just two minutes from Ballaghaderreen’s town centre in Co Roscommon.
But it might as well be Timbuckthree.
A family-friendly “little pocket universe of music, freedom, artistic expression, natural spiritualism and mysticism” it includes an eclectic mix of almost 100 per cent unsigned Irish music acts ranging from mainstream pop and folk to more underground, urban sounds of hip-hop, grunge and fusion.
Performers on its four stages on Friday and Saturday include the Well Dressed Hobos, Bunoscoinn, Dreaming of Jupiter, Clandestinos, Nix Moon, Tanjier, and many more.
A traditional craft village includes workshops in blacksmithing, pottering, mud-sculpting, mask-making, Djembe drumming , West African dancing and, best of all, kids under 12 are free.
What’s not to like!
